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Marvel Comics Introduces Donald Trump Inspired Villain MODAAK

MODOK, Mobile Organism Designed Only for Killing, is a super-villain that was created for Marvel Comics by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, making his first appearance in print in 1967. Mostly seen in Tales of Suspense, MODOK was a recurring bad guy for Captain America and later The Avengers. The character used to be AIM technician George Tarleton, before being turned into an abomination after experimentation.

Since its creation, MODOK has undergone several different versions that have not been immune to real world influence. At New York Comic-Con in 2015, i09 issued a call for artists to re-imagine the semi-obscure villain as then billionaire turned Presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

As Americans (and the rest of the world) watch Trump battle for the Oval Office, fictional characters in the Marvel Universe are watching as well. As mentioned on Comics Alliance, Spider-Gwen Annual #1 has a character that looks remarkably similar to the presumptive Republican nominee. The Mental Organism Designed As America's King, or M.O.D.A.A.K. for short, is unnaturally orange skinned and depicted with small hands as he hovers near the Mexico/US border where there is a giant wall in the background. The likeness is unmistakable, right down to the lighter, untanned circles around the eyes and the easy-to-miss taco bowl.

Trumpisms can be found all over the two-page spread that pits Samantha Wilson's Captain America against the megalomaniac. Tiny hands is a reference to the tangent millions of viewers were privy to during a televised Republican candidate debate earlier this year where Trump defended the size of his hands and the size of another piece of anatomy. Just before M.O.D.A.A.K. can utter Trump's signature, "Make America Great Again," phrase, he is cut off by Cap's shield. Gwen also echos a very widespread sentiment given the current political climate when she says to Samantha, "This nation's anger and greed and fear are still very real, Cap.

This Spider-Gwen Annual is lead by writer Jason Latour, with Chris Visions illustrating and Jim Campbell coloring the M.O.D.A.A.K. vignette. Earth-65 turns a lot of what we know about Marvel on its head, with Gwen Stacy having been bit by a radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker. In this issue, Samantha Wilson is Captain America (and the artists pay homage to Beyonce's Lemonade with a "Hot Sauce" baseball bat), She-Hulk is a professional wrestler, and there is some backstory on Koala Kommander.